Happy Birthday Natalie Coughlin!!
Natalie Coughlin (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2022)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: GOLD (100M BACKSTROKE, 4×200M FREESTYLE), SILVER ( 4×100M FREESTYLE, 4×100M MEDLEY), BRONZE (100M FREESTYLE); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: GOLD (100M BACKSTROKE), SILVER (4×100M FREESTYLE, 4×100M MEDLEY), BRONZE (100M FREESTYLE, 200M I.M, 4×200M FREESTYLE); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: BRONZE (4X100M FREESTYLE); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (100M BACKSTROKE, 4×200M FREESTYLE), SILVER (4×100M MEDLEY), BRONZE (50M BACKSTROKE); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (4×100M FREESTYLE) SILVER (4×100M MEDLEY); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (4×200M FREESTYLE), SILVER (4×100M MEDLEY, 100M FREESTYLE), BRONZE (100M BACKSTROKE, 4×100M FREESTYLE); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (100M BACKSTROKE, 4×200M FREESTYLE), SILVER (4×100M FREESTYLE, 4×100M MEDLEY), BRONZE (100M BUTTERFLY); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (4×100M MEDLEY), SILVER (4×100M FREESTYLE), BRONZE (100M BACKSTROKE); 2013 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): GOLD (4×100M FREESTYLE)
She is the only American woman to win six medals at one Olympic Games, while tying Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson with winning the most Olympic medals at twelve. Natalie Coughlin became the first woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-meter backstroke in August, 2002, then going on to break the record several more times, going below the 59 second mark.
At 15, she became the first US swimmer to qualify for all 14 events at the U.S. Nationals, but by the time she was ready to enter college, she was already burnt out in the sport. She had a devastating shoulder injury and was in an environment that didn’t support her.
Enter the University of California Berkeley and a program that would change Natalie’s entire outlook on swimming. In her four years at Cal, Natalie became the most decorated swimmer in the university’s history. She was a three time NCAA Swimmer of the Year and won 12 NCAA titles and upheld an undefeated dual meet record throughout her collegiate career (61-0).
Natalie regularly attended the World Championships as well as the Pan Pacs and other major competitions and she regularly brought home the hardware too. After her disappointing swims at the 2000 Trials, all events Natalie competed in after that were a build up to the Trials of 2004, and ultimately, the Athens Games. In 2004 at the Trials, Natalie qualified first in the 100m backstroke and second in the 100m freestyle, she had punched her ticket to Athens.
In Athens, she won her first two Olympic medals in gold. First, the 100m backstroke and next as part of the world record-setting 800m freestyle relay. After that, she swam on the 400m freestyle relay and the 400m medley relay, where the USA girls took silver. She finished up in the 100m freestyle, where she earned bronze.
Four years later in Beijing, Natalie proved she was one of the most successful swimmers in U.S history by becoming the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100m backstroke. She added two more silvers to her medal count, again in the 400m freestyle relay and the other in the medley relay. She added three more bronze, for a total of six medals in one Olympiad, making her the first woman to ever do so.
Natalie attended her third and final Games in London in 2012. She was a member of the U.S.A. ‘s 400m freestyle relay that took bronze. She would swim in 2016 but come up short. Natalie never officially retired and continued to stay involved in the sport, serving as an athlete representative for USA Swimming’s Board of Directors, and in 2019, Natalie competed in the International Swimming League’s inaugural season.
She has won a total of 60 medals in major international competition, 25 gold, 22 silver, and 13 bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games.
ISHOF Loses Australian Honoree John Devitt
by IAN HANSON – OCEANIA CORRESPONDENT
17 August 2023, 09:17pm
PASSAGES: Australia Mourns The Passing Of “Mr Swimming” John Devitt, A Legend With Chlorine In His Veins
The Australian swimming community is in mourning today following the passing of one if its greatest champions, two-time Olympic and three-time Commonwealth Games freestyle gold medallist John Devitt AM – a true legend of the sport.
“Gentleman John” passed away peacefully in Sydney yesterday, aged 86, leaving an enormous legacy not only in sport but after a special life alongside his adoring wife Wendy and the four Devitt kids – Carmel, Mark, Julie, and Sean.
Swimming in Australia has been blessed with a host of true champions over more than 130 years of success both in and out of the pool, but few have had the charisma, the presence, and the passion of John Devitt.
ROME OLYMPIC PODIUM: John Devitt with his prized 100m freestyle gold from 1960. USA’s Lance Larson (Silver) right and Brazil’s Manny Dos Santos (Bronze) left. Photo Courtesy: Robin Poke.
Known on pool decks around the world as JD and affectionally referred to back in the day as Johnny Devitt -Australia’s 1956 and 1960 Olympic gold medallist – Australian swim team captain of the golden era – he was “Mr Swimming.”
Born in Granville on February 4, 1937, John went on to become a dual Olympic gold medallist in the 4x200m freestyle in Melbourne and in the blue ribband 100 metres freestyle in what was a controversial final in Rome in 1960.
John grew up just 250 metres from the Granville Olympic pool, in the heartland of the Sydney’s golden west and was a product of the government funded learn-to-swim program attending Marist Brothers Parramatta.
But after his coach Tom Penny was forced to move from Granville to Manly (Ocean) Baths, Devitt moved with him, and it was the continuation of a partnership that led to Devitt’s foray on to the National scene.
But it was Devitt’s next move to noted coach Sam Herford (at the Spit Baths) who was in charge of the great Olympic champion Murray Rose, that eventually steered him towards his Olympic dream.
After duelling with the likes of Barry Darke and then graduating through match races with Jon Henricks and Gary Chapman, Devitt was named on the 1956 team for the Melbourne Olympics – and much to his surprise he was named captain.
He opened his love affair with the Games with an individual silver medal to Henricks in a dominant Australian 100 metres, with Chapman third – creating wild celebrations on pool deck.
It was Australia’s first ever Olympic clean sweep in any event. It was also the first time an Australian had ever won the men’s 100m freestyle and the first Australian freestyle gold medal in 32 years (Another Manly boy, Andrew “Boy” Charlton’s 1500m win in Paris was the previous gold medal).
Devitt, Henricks, Rose and Kevin O’Halloran then combined to win gold in the 4x200m – with Devitt clocking the fastest split time of the four – but little did Devitt know what lay ahead as he prepared for the 1958 Cardiff British Empire And Commonwealth Games and the 1960 Rome Olympics some four years on.
The freestyle sprint ace continued his gold rush in Cardiff winning three gold – including the prized 100m freestyle in another Aussie sweep with Chapman second and Geoff Shipton third.
Photo Courtesy: Robin Poke
Devitt was again named as the prestigious team captain in Rome and while Henricks was favoured to defend his crown he failed to make the 100m final after falling ill.
It was left to Devitt to take on American Lance Larson and the flying Brazilian Manny Dos Santos.
Devitt and Larsen hauled Santos in over the closing stages of a thrilling final before one of the most controversial finishes in Olympic swimming history unfolded.
The trio touched in a flurry of splash and the experienced Devitt – noted for his quick touch, was convinced he had won the gold medal, reaching out underwater with one hand as the other came over the top.
But the US camp was equally convinced that Larsen was the victor, with the American claiming the victory with his post-race celebration.
Devitt himself would recall one of the most controversial days in Olympic swimming history saying: “Eight of us hit the wall, almost in line. In the crowd, bedlam turns to ovation, then speculation, then anticipation. Who has won?
“I didn’t know. I knew I had missed the wall with my left hand and started to raise my right, but then stretched out with the left to touch.
“I had contested four close finishes in my career; I won three of them, having lost one in Melbourne to my old mate Henricks.
“My touch had been recognised as being one of the quickest of all time. And the motto ‘a quick touch wins races’ had been with me for years. I was hoping that touch had worked with me this time.”
And after much deliberation amongst the judges, Devitt was announced the winner, with Larsen the silver and Dos Santos the bronze, sending the US into the protest room.
Two of the three first-place judges said Devitt had won and two of the three second-placed judges said Devitt had finished second – giving him the majority of the votes for both first and second.
Devitt’s time was adjusted and both swimmers were given the Olympic record time of 55.2 – but it was Devitt who packed the golden medal in his suitcase for the trip back to Sydney.
The controversy is still the subject of much discussion between swimming’s great archrivals the USA and Australia.
TEAM CAPTAIN: John Devitt led the golden era of Australian swimming in the 1950s and 60s. Photo Courtesy: Swimming NSW.
Devitt held his head high after he returned home and retired to work for swimwear manufacturing giant, Speedo and as head coach of the squads in the Queenscliff rock pool and the famed Manly Baths before leaving Australia to take up a major position with Speedo International, returning home to continue his administrative roles with Swimming and as a vice president of the Australian Olympic Committee.
The gentleman of the pool first served the Swimming Australia board as its Chairman of Overseas Planning – instrumental in bringing Don Talbot back as head coach in 1989 – under the reign of CEO and future Olympic Committee guru Craig McLatchey.
Devitt had then become Vice President of Swimming Australia, alongside President and lifelong friend and fellow Olympian Terry Gathercole between 1996 and 2000 taking over as President of Swimming Australia between 2000 and 2004.
A fitting post for Devitt, after being instrumental and influential in winning the successful bid in 1993 for the Olympics to come to Sydney.
He would later lead Australia into the MCG as Chef de Mission of the 2006 Commonwealth Games Team – 50 years after his Olympic triumph in Australia’s sporting capital.
Receiving due recognition for his passion and poise for the sport he loved – often saying he was a chosen one who had chlorine running through his veins, was awarded FINA’s highest award – the FINA (World Aquatics) Prize.
The FINA Order is only awarded to heads of States/Cities, which host major FINA or Olympic events, joining fellow Australians Bill Berge Phillips in 1991 and Kieren Perkins in 1994 as fellow FINA Prize recipients.
Former Swimming Australian CEO, the late Glenn Tasker had been full of praise for Devitt saying: “John dedicated 60 years of his life to the sport of swimming. His career has spanned the most exciting period in the sport’s history. The Fina Prize is a wonderful recognition of his life’s dedication and truly deserved.”
John Devitt AM was captain of the Australian Swimming Team that won eight gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Games and President of Australian Swimming at the time the team won five gold in the next home Games in Sydney, seven more in Athens and 13 at the 2001 World’s in Fukuoka.
Devitt quietly stepped aside from public life on Sydney’s Northern Beaches where he spent time with his kids and grandchildren.
And dedicating his time to researching and writing a book with co-author Larry Writer about the extraordinary life of his own hero, 1912 Olympic gold medallist Cecil Healy, who would become the first Olympic champion to make the ultimate sacrifice, losing his life in World War I.
THE SOMME: John Devitt at The Somme graveyards. Photo Courtesy: Devitt Family Collection.
Healy had refused to swim in the 100-metres final in Stockholm in 1912, unless famed Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the favourite, was allowed to compete.
Duke had missed his semi-final after a misunderstanding over the starting time. Healy’s gesture cost him victory but earned him a place in sport’s pantheon of true champions.
Devitt, the true champion himself, had long admired Healy, with their lives travelling down such similar paths in sport and in life and it had been a life long ambition of Devitt’s to travel to The Somme to visit Healy’s grave and honour his fellow Olympic champion with a detailed biography of his life.
Such was Devitt’s feelings for his hero, when Manly Council chose to honour Devitt (like Healy a long time Manly Swimming Club member) by naming their new eight-lane indoor pool after the 1956 and 1960 Olympic champion.
But Devitt convinced the powers-that-be to change the name to the Devitt-Healy pool, saying that it was important to him to have Healy’s name next to his as a “tangible memento.”
“I regard myself as having had a similar life (to Cecil Healy),” said Devitt, “We have enjoyed a great escalator, we have been successful but when the discussion came up I thought Cecil should have been recognised…and I said our names should be associated.”
The humble act by Mr Devitt was fitting, given Healy’s reputation as one of Australia’s most honourable sportsmen for his unselfish act in 1912 that would have certainly seen him win that individual Olympic gold.
As an elite young swimmer, as a resident of Manly on Sydney’s northern beaches, where Healy once lived, and as a noted swimming historian, Devitt became engrossed in the Healy legend, writing the labour of love on his hero’s life.
BIG THREE: Murray Rose, Jon Henricks and John Devitt. Photo Courtesy: Swimming NSW
Cecil Healy and John Devitt are both honorees in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale.
IOC Vice President and former long serving AOC president John Coates, knew John Devitt well, serving together on the AOC Executive and on many teams, paying this tribute.
“I know of no other Olympic Champion who cared for his sport and the Olympic movement like John,” said Coates.
“And no other sports administrator with the integrity and high principles that were John’s hallmark.
“John Devitt was my most loyal Vice President and Deputy Chef de Mission and so highly regarded by his swimmers and the other athletes who were always his focus.
“But above all was John’s commitment and love for his his family. Nothing was more important in his life.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Wendy and the family at this most difficult time.”
Amongst a litany of recognition for his services to Swimming and The Olympics, John is also the recipient of the Olympic Order, bestowed by the International Olympic Committee; the Fina (World Aquatics) Prize, For Outstanding Contribution to Swimming; A Life Member of the Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia; Also Inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame and Appointed a Member of Order of Australia (AM).
John Devitt AM – true champion both in sport and in life.
ATHENS OLYMPIC SWIM TEAM: Swimming Australia president John Devitt with the 2004 Australian Olympic Swim Team. Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media.
Flashback Friday: When the Olympic Games Last Visited Paris; A 100-Year Flashback
Flashback Friday: When the Olympic Games Last Visited Paris; A 100-Year Flashback
By: John Lohn, Editor in Chief
When the Olympic Games return to Paris next summer, it will mark a century since the French capital last served as host of the biggest sporting event on the planet. In 1924, Paris welcomed the finest athletes in the world, including an American swimmer by the name of Johnny Weissmuller. For this week’s version of Throwback Thursday, we look back at some of the highlights from the last Olympics in Paris.
Before he became better known for his portrayal of Tarzan, Weissmuller was the undisputed king of swimming, and his first Olympics in Paris allowed him to cement that status. Weissmuller claimed individual gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and 400 freestyle, with each victory arriving over a stacked field.
In the 100 freestyle, Weissmuller finished ahead of the Kahanamoku brothers, Duke and Sam. Via a time of 59.0, Weissmuller prevailed and denied Duke Kahanamoku from capturing his third consecutive title in the event. Duke won gold in the 100 free in 1912 ad 1920, but didn’t have the chance at the crown in 1916 due to the cancellation of the Games by World War I.
Although the 400 freestyle was a stretch for Weissmuller in terms of distance, the American demonstrated his talent by defeating distance stars Arne Borg of Sweden and Andrew “Boy” Charlton of Australia. Weissmuller trailed late in the race, but surged past his foes over the last lap to secure victory.
Charlton got the best of Borg for the gold medal in the 1500 freestyle, as both men went under the previous world record.
The United States easily topped the medals table, thanks to 19 medals. Of that total, nine were gold while five were silver and five were bronze. Australia, Sweden and Great Britain tied for second place on the chart, with four medals each.
Overlooked in the shadow of Weissmuller was the United States’ Warren Kealoha. After mining gold in the 100 backstroke at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Kealoha defended his title with an Olympic-record performance. Kealoha was the only repeat champion in the event until 1960, when Aussie David Theile backed up his gold from the 1956 Games.
The United States women were led by a trio of gold medalists. Ethel Lackie bested the competition in the 100 freestyle while Martha Norelius emerged on top in the 400 freestyle, a championship she would defend four years later in Amsterdam. More, Sybil Bauer cruised to gold in the 100 backstroke.
Happy Birthday Tom Malchow!!
Tom Malchow (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2014)
FOR THE RECORD: 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (200m butterfly); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m butterfly); 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: Team Captain and 4th place (200m butterfly): ONE WORLD RECORD: 200m butterfly: 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (200m butterfly); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m butterfly); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (200m butterfly); 1995 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (200m butterfly); 1997 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (4x200m freestyle), silver (200m butterfly); 1999 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m butterfly), silver (4x200m freestyle); 2002 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m butterfly); 1995 SUMMER UNIVERSIADE: gold (200m butterfly).
He was introduced early to the water and started swimming competitively at the age of seven to help combat his chronic asthma. A naturally tall and lean kid, Tom Malchow played a little basketball and baseball in grade school, but it was swimming that he showed the most promise. Swimming for coach Paul Lundsten, state, zone and sectional times came easily to him. At St. Thomas Military Academy he held the pool record, in every event except for diving, and was recruited by some of the nations top collegiate programs. He chose Michigan because he liked the coach, Jon Urbanchek, and the overall program.
When he got to Ann Arbor in 1995, he wasn’t the “big dog” he had been in high school and it was a difficult transition for him. He was getting worked in practice and was given the nickname “Puppychow”, but that just made him hungry for success. Following his freshman season, Tom surprised everyone but Urbanchek when he upset the reigning Olympic 200 meter butterfly Champion, Mel Stewart, to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Games as the team’s youngest member, and then moved from sixth place at the last turn to win the silver medal in Atlanta.
Finishing just behind Hall of Famer, Denis Pankratov, who won gold, was a critical turning point for Malchow. The silver medal wasn’t good enough for him, he wanted the gold. So, for the next four years, he and Urbanchek decided what needed to be done differently so he could stand on top the medal stand with a gold medal around his neck.
Chasing Pankratov’s world record had been made more difficult by the rule change that limited underwater swimming to 15 meters after Atlanta, but Tom finally broke it in June of 2000. Three months later, he won the gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly and broke the Olympic record as well.
In order to take home the gold medal from Sydney, Tom swam six days a week for 10 years; but every day since he was seven he endured frequent asthma attacks, bouts with pneumonia and eight or nine hospitalizations due to his chronic condition. He learned early on that the most effective way to deal with his enemy was to meet it on its own terms. “I picked a sport I could do, became motivated, and gave it everything I had.”
Happy Birthday Zdravko Jezic!!
Zdravko Jezic (YUG)
Honor Water Polo (2010)
“Pusko” played on three Olympic teams for Yugoslavia winning silver medals in 1952 and 1956. He contributed to the development of the “dynamic game” after restriction of movement was discontinued in 1950, helping to develop the “Yugoslav school” of fast-style water polo. He played in every one of the 113 consecutive national team games from 1950 to 1960 (captain 1958-1960) and in over 400 games for his Club Mladost’s team (captain 1952-1962). Bela Rajki called him one of the outstanding personalities of his time.
Happy Birthday Fu Mingxia!!
Fu Mingxia (CHN)
Honor Diver (2005)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard); 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (3m springboard), silver (3m springboard synchro); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform); 1993 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: bronze (3m springboard); 1995 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: gold (3m springboard), silver (10m platform); 2000 FINA WORLD DIVING CUP: silver (3m springboard); 1990 ASIAN GAMES: bronze (10m platform); 1994 ASIAN GAMES: silver (3m springboard); 1999 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard); Swimming World’s Best Female Platform Diver: 1990, 1991.
Fu Mingxia completed a remarkable diving career that earned her the title “Queen of Diving.” Over a period of three Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000) she earned four gold and one silver medal, more than any other diver in history.
Born in Wuhan of Hubei Province in central China on August 16, 1978, into a working-class family with an elder sister, Mingxia learned to swim at a nearby river under the instruction of her father Fu Yijun. At age five, she started gymnastics at the Winhan Spare-Time Sports School with her sister, but switched two years later to diving and was selected as a member to the Hubei Provencial diving team in 1987. She competed at the Junior National Games in 1989, placing fifth on the platform. The next year she won the event in the Group B event at the meet. She was then selected for intensified training by the national team and became a part of Hall of Fame Coach Xu Yiming’s national training program in Beijing in 1990. Homesick, she cried for the first few months, but during nine-hour-a-day practices, she kept very busy and was trained to empty herself of emotion, particularly fear. She saw her parents once that first year and within one year of intensified training and competing in six international competitions, she won the gold medal at the 1991 Perth World Championships in the 10m platform, becoming the youngest ever diving world champion at age 12.
Of her first time diving off the 10m platform, Mingxia remembers, “It was so high above the water! But we had a rule: a diver must leave the platform from the front, that means you have to dive. A diver can never descend by the stairs at the rear of the platform. So I jumped. I was scared to death. My heart was about to come out of my body. But I did it.” She carried her winning streak of 1991 into 1992 as she took the gold medal in the women’s 10m platform at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At 13 years 353 days, she became the youngest female platform Olympic diving champion and the second youngest female Olympic diving champion of all time behind 1936 3m springboard gold medalist Marjorie Gestring at 13 years 267 days, a difference of only 186 days.
“I think a female diver can easily reach the peak of her career before 15, she said. But after that, you have to endure many growing pains. For example, to retain the elegance of the sport, one has to keep a slim figure. But your body is developing. You need to eat to provide your body with enough nutrients and stuff. I was really miserable. I felt hungry shortly after I had a meal. I couldn’t explain why I felt hungry so quickly, but that was the case then.”
Between 1992 and her next Olympic competition in 1996, Mingxia’s five feet tall and 90 pound body grew by two inches, but her skill and focus were as sharp as ever. She won the platform event at the 1994 Rome World Championships and was second in the springboard at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games. Then came the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and so did another two gold medals in the women’s springboard and platform, Fu becoming only the fourth women to win both events at the same Olympic Games – Vicki Draves (USA) / 1948, Pat McCormick (USA) / 1952, 1956, and Ingrid Kraemer (GER) / 1960. She also became the 5th female diver to win successive gold medals in the same event, the other four being Dorothy Poynton (USA) 1932, 1936 (platform), Pat McCormick (USA) 1952, 1956 (platform, springboard), Ingrid Kramer (GER) 1960, 1964 (springboard), Gao Min (CHN) 1988, 1992 (springboard).
Following Atlanta and after seven years of 40 hour a week training sessions, the physically and mentally exhausted Fu announced her retirement, enrolling at China’s top Tsinghua University. She was happily enjoying a relaxed university life, pressure-free from diving. But she soon realized she missed diving and started back competing for fun with no intention to continue internationally again. However, as her skills toned, she started thinking of Sydney in 2000. She worked hard and finished second in the Olympic Trials, thereby winning a place on the Olympic Team. After only six months training with 3m springboard synchro partner Guo Jingjing, the duo won the silver medal in the event behind the Russian team of Vera Ilyina and Oulia Pakhalina.
In the 3m springboard event, Mingxia defeated her synchro partner to win her fourth gold medal and thus the first female diver to win gold in three consecutive Olympic Games. With her silver medal in synchro diving, she had won an unprecedented five medals in Olympic competition. Says Mingxia, “It takes a diver only 1.7 seconds to go from the 10m platform to the water surface down below. So I call it a one-second art. It requires you to fully display the beauty of the sport in only a second. It’s very demanding, but I love the challenge.”
On July 15, 2002, Fu Mingxia married the then Hong Kong Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kamchung and gave birth to a baby girl in the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong earlier this year. They now live in Hong Kong.
This brilliant diver who always seems to have a bright smile on her face, was selected as one of China’s “Ten Outstanding Young People”, out of 1.5 billion people.
Happy Birthday Krisztina Egerszegi!!
Krisztina Egerszegi (HUN)
Honor Swimmer (2001)
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m backstroke), silver (100m backstroke); 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 400m IM); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m backstroke), bronze (400m IM); TWO WORLD RECORDS: 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke; 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke); 1994 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m backstroke); 1989 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (400m IM);1991 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 400m IM); 1993 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 400m IM); 1995 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (200m backstroke, 400m IM).
Only one other athlete had ever won an Olympic gold medal in each of three successive Olympic Games (Dawn Fraser of Australia in 1956, 1960, 1964, 100m freestyle) when Krisztina Egerszegi did it in the 200m backstroke in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Not only did she win the Olympic 200m backstroke an unprecedented three times, she also won gold medals in the 100m backstroke and 400m I.M. In addition, she started her string of victories as the youngest swimming Olympic gold medal winner of all time at the age of fourteen.
Krisztina’s international competition began at the top at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where she won the 200m backstroke gold in Olympic Record time of 2:09.29 over Katherin Zimmerman and Cornelia Sirch of the German Democratic Republic. She placed second in the 100m backstroke to Kristin Otto (GDR). For the next six years, she would lose the 200m backstroke race only once. This occurred at the 1989 European Championships in Bonn, when Dagmar Hase (GDR) and Otto out touched her in the 200m and 100m backstrokes respectively. It was the last year that the East German athletes were to swim under the banner of their country.
For the next three European Championships in Athens (1991), Sheffield (1993) and Vienna (1995), Krisztina won every race she entered which included the 100m and 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley. She became the master of the new, no-hand touch, the 1991 backstroke turn-rule change which eliminated the requirement of swimmers touching the wall with their hand on every turn. In 1991 at the European Championships, she broke Ina Kleber’s (GDR) 100m backstroke World Record which had been set 7 years earlier in 1984 and Betsy Mitchell’s (USA) 200m backstroke World Record set in 1986. Her 200m backstroke World Record of 2:06.62 set in Athens in 1991 still stands today, 10 years later.
Krisztina became the “Queen” of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when she was the only female athlete to win three individual events – 100m and 200m backstroke and 400m I.M.. She was only the third swimmer in history behind Debbie Meyer (USA)(1968) and Janet Evans (USA)(1988) to win three individual events at one Olympic Games. Her 200m backstroke time remains an Olympic Record today. Four years later in 1996, at 22 years of age, she returned for another Olympics in Atlanta winning the gold for the third time in the 200m backstroke and a bronze in the 400m individual medley.
Her national team coach, Tamas Szechy, says she was a hard worker. She was Swimming World’s World Female Swimmer of the Year (1991) and European Female Swimmer of the Year (1990, 1991, 1992).
Krisztina never liked to predict her future, but through her competitiveness, tenacity, love for her sport and five Olympic gold medals later, she made her own place in it.
Happy Birthday Brendan Hansen!!
Brendan Hansen (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2021)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), silver (100m breaststroke), bronze (200m breaststroke); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4×100m medley), bronze (100m breaststroke); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m breaststroke); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (4×100m medley), silver (100m breaststroke), bronze (200m breaststroke); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×100 m medley); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m breaststroke), silver (50m breaststroke); 2004 World Championships (SC): 4 gold (50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×100m medley)
How many athletes can boast that they were unbeaten in their individual events throughout all four years of college? The Texas Longhorn breaststroker named Brendan Hansen, from Havertown, Pennsylvania, can claim this feat. Hansen entered the University of Texas at Austin, in 2000 to swim for ISHOF Honor Coach, Eddie Reese. By the time he graduated in 2004, he had never lost a breaststroke event during his entire NCAA collegiate career. He was a 16-time All-American and won 13 NCAA Championships, eight individual NCAA titles and five relay crowns. Hansen became the only person in history to win every breaststroke event all four years at the NCAA Championships.
Brendan swam for several teams growing up in the Philadelphia area. His first coach was John McFadden at Foxcatcher Farms, who Brendan credits for his approach to practice and work ethic. Hansen had a unique style of breaststroke, which incorporated a kick that is typically much narrower than most of his competitors.
By the time he reached the University of Texas, Hansen was already a member of the USA National team. In 2000, Hansen just missed making the Olympic team twice in the both the 100 and 200m breaststroke, placing third in both events at Trials.
His first big international win was at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where he took gold in the 200m breaststroke and set a championship record. Two years later at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Hansen broke his first world record as part of the men’s 4 x 100 medley relay. In his individual events, he took silver in the 100, finishing just behind Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima along with taking a bronze in the 200. Then at the 2004 Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Hansen was unstoppable. He won both the 100 and 200m breaststroke, breaking the world record in each event, and made his first Olympic team.
Hansen went into the Athens Olympics completely prepared, but recalls his races being “sloppy.” Sloppy or not, he won his first Olympic gold medal on the USA’s 400m medley relay. Prior to the relay he won a silver in the 100m breaststroke and a bronze in the 200 breast. Hansen recalls the sheer pride he got when he put on that USA Olympic uniform for the first time. Working so hard to get there and battling back from his third-place finishes in 2000, made it all worthwhile.
Just two months following the Athens games, Hansen was back on US soil and in Indianapolis for the Short Course World Championships. He walked away with four gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200-meter breaststroke and the 400-medley relay. He was part of the world record medley relay, joining Hall of Famers Aaron Peirsol, Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak.
As a member of the 2006 USA National Team, Hansen broke the world record three times in a span of just 26 days in the breaststroke events. His first came at the 2006 US National Championships, where he broke the world record in both the 100m breaststroke (59.13) and 200m breaststroke (2:08.74). Days later, he traveled to Victoria, British Columbia, to compete at the Pan Pacific Championships. There, Hansen beat his own world record again in the 200m breaststroke, in a time of 2:08.50.
By most accounts, 2008 would prove to be another successful Olympic Games for Hansen. He had been elected Captain of the USA team and was part of the gold medal winning relay which allowed Michael Phelps to walk away with his historic eighth gold medal. It was a different story in the 100-meter breaststroke, however, as he placed fourth in the event. At the completion of the Games, he decided he was done with swimming.
Hansen retired after the 2008 games but returned in 2011 and qualified for his third Olympics a year later. At the 2012 London Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke, after gaining the last spot in finals and swimming in lane 8. He fought “tooth and nail” as he puts it, to get into the finals of that 100m breaststroke event. To this day, Brendan says, “that is still my favorite medal I have ever won.” He finished up the meet and his career by winning his third Olympic gold medal in the 400m medley relay.
Hansen finished his career with a total of three gold, one silver and two Olympic bronze medals. He is a ten-time world champion, breaking 11 world records in his career.
Happy Birthday Gary Tobian!!
Gary Tobian (USA)
Honor Diver (1978)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1956 silver (platform); 1960 gold (springboard), silver (platform); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1959 gold (3m springboard); NATIONAL AAU Diving Titles: 8.
Gary Tobian, a successful Los Angeles business man, owned the tower as U.S. National Champion for six years, but won his international gold medals in both the Olympics and Pan American Games off the springboard. He was the last in a long line of U.S.C. National Collegiate and AAU diving champions medaling in two Olympics, 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome.
Happy Birthday Debbie Meyer!!
Debbie Meyer (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1977)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 gold (200m, 400m, 800m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 15; PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1967 (2 gold); NATIONAL AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS: 19; AMERICAN RECORDS: 27; “World Swimmer of the Year”: 1967, 1968, 1969; 1968 Sullivan Award winner.
Debbie was the first to win 3 individual golds at one Olympics (1968 Mexico). She won 2 Pan-American golds in 1967. She was the first woman to swim 1500m under 18 minutes and the first to take the 400m under 4:30, the 500 yd. under 5 minutes and the 1650 yd. under 17 minutes. She held 24 American Records. In 1967 she was chosen Tass News Agency’s “Woman Athlete of the Year”. Debbie Meyer , between the ages of 14 and 18, was the world’s greatest female swimmer. In 7 years prior to the 1968 Olympics (she began at the Camden Y and finished as belle cow of the Arden Hills Swim Club) she swam 30,000 miles in 7 years to set training standards no girl before her had achieved; and yet she remained a happy all-American girl in appearance as in performance setting standards. Just for comparison and a little argument in the battle of the sexes, Debbie’s 4:24.5 in the 400m would have beaten Murray Rose in the 1956 Olympics and her 17:19.9 in the 1500m would have been 39 seconds faster than his 1500m time.